Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM. This week, Kart discusses a new wind park spinning in Huron County, funding available for Watershed Initiative Network grants and faulty septic systems that can pollute local waterways and contribute to harmful algal blooms.

No alternative energy source is without its environmental costs. But as demand for power continues and as existing fossil-fuel and nuclear plants age, the truth is that the Great Lakes states need to aggressively explore alternatives. Continue Reading →

An Ontario court has ruled in favor of a wind turbine project that put environmental groups at odds with each other.
On one side are supporters of an alternative energy project. On the other are those favoring the protection of a threatened turtle species and fragile soil. Continue Reading →

An appeals court has refused to order a local government to extend a special use permit for a proposed multimillion-dollar 29-turbine wind farm in Western New York. Allegany Wind LLC unsuccessfully sought a one-year extension of its permit for the controversial project in the town of Allegany, in Cattaraugus County just north of the Pennsylvania border. When the original permit was issued in July 2011, the town notified the company that the approval would expire if construction has not commenced within a year. The town extended the deadline because of a lawsuit by project opponents, Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus. The citizens group lost that challenge in November 2011. Continue Reading →

In an effort to increase the U.S.’s renewable energy portfolio, the wind industry has grown tremendously. Michigan is now home to just under 700 turbines, but not everyone is happy about the growing wind farm industry. Continue Reading →

Check out this map for a scary picture of wind over the Great Lakes around 9 p.m. Sunday. This static shot doesn’t do it justice. Click the image to catch the animation. Of course, if you’re seeing this long after the wind has died, it won’t be as impressive. Just know that Sunday evening would have been an exciting time for a Chicago to Mackinac Island reach. Continue Reading →

Michigan was one of the fastest growing states for wind power in 2012. That’s according to the American Wind Energy Association’s annual market report. But the nuts and bolts of harnessing wind energy is a complicated issue, with its fair share of supporters and detractors. Jim Dulzo of the Michigan Land Use Institute in Traverse City joined Current State to explain where the state stands in moving forward on wind power. Continue Reading →